


You'll Be Alright, Potter.

by ohthedrarry



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Draco Malfoy - Freeform, Drarry, Harry Potter - Freeform, M/M, Muggle London, Post-War, Post-War Harry Potter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-11 21:06:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7070305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohthedrarry/pseuds/ohthedrarry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-war Harry Potter wakes up and takes a stroll through Muggle London to clear his head. He runs into a drunk Draco Malfoy in a pub.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You'll Be Alright, Potter.

**Author's Note:**

> because imagine post-war harry waking up and wandering around muggle london only to run into draco at a pub

Harry wasn’t quite sure how he ended up walking down the street in Muggle London. Everywhere he went there were people bustling about; couples holding hands, drunken men swaying in groups of three or four, the occasional girl alone by herself with her jacket clutched tightly to her chest. A soft rain was misting down from the clouds above the city and he suddenly felt very stupid. He was still in his pajama bottoms and old t-shirt.

“Bloody hell,” he mumbled to himself, staring down at his bare feet. He was going to freeze at that rate.

The idea of Apparating back to the Burrow crossed his mind. After all, he hadn’t quite meant to actually leave the kitchen. He’d been fumbling around for something small to snack on, or some tea to steep, when he’d wished he was somewhere - anywhere - else.

To be frank it was a miracle he hadn’t ended up at Godrick’s Hollow, given what day it was. Halloween; a night of tricks, treats, and the death of his parents. He hadn’t known why the holiday had rubbed him the wrong way for as long as he could remember. His earliest childhood memories of Halloween included Dudley strutting about in whatever “cute” costume Aunt Petunia brought home and the family going out to parties while he stayed with Ms. Figg.

But now, he knew the truth. He knew it was the night his parents were killed; the night he became the Boy Who Lived.

Harry took off down the street, following a group of girls who huddled close together beneath one umbrella. There were about two girls too many, and he hoped that they didn’t think he was stalking them. He just wanted a place to get dry and warm up a bit before heading back to the Burrow.

After about a block a pub came up on his left. He looked down at his feet once more and wondered if the “no shirt, no shoes, no service” rule actually applied. He’d never been in the sort of position where he’d need to know before.

The inside of the pub was comforting; dark wood paneling, deep maroon wallpaper, dim lighting. He sincerely wished that no one would question his outfit choices as he made his way to the bar. The bartender was a busty brunette, maybe just a smidge older than himself. Her shirt was unbuttoned two buttons too low; he could see the outline of her lace bra peeking up from beneath her shirt.

“What can I get for ya, handsome?” she asked, her red lips tilting up at the one side in a small smirk. He racked his brain trying to think of what to get; obviously a butterbeer was out of the question.

“Just a rum and Coke, please,” he replied, remembering the few times he and Hermione had gone out for a drink. She’d always ordered for him (and drank most of it too). It sounded about right.

“Sure thing.” Harry wasn’t sure but he thought he saw her wink before moving down the bar to start making his drink.

“Rough day?” a voice to Harry’s left spoke up. Harry scoffed to himself and turned to look at the man.

“You have no- Malfoy?”

Draco Malfoy was the last person Harry had expected to see in Muggle London, sitting at a bar. Draco raised his eyebrow and nodded before putting the glass in his hand to his lips, finishing it off.

“Bit of a shock, isn’t it, Potter?” he chuckled, but Harry didn’t think he’d meant to be funny. Draco set the glass down. “Fancy seeing you around. Didn’t think you’d ever want to come back to a place like this. Now it all makes sense, why you tried so hard to leave.”

There was something about the tone of Draco’s voice that threw Harry off. Draco wasn’t being rude, or patronizing, or even boastful; the only three ways Harry thought Draco was capable of speaking. Instead he sounded broken, drunk, and like he was on Death’s Row giving his goodbye speech to the world.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Harry frowned. He nodded a thank you to the bartender who also set a drink down in front of Draco, taking away the empty glass. Draco’s back was slouched and he was almost hunched over the bar, like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders and was beginning to crumble beneath the pressure of it.

“Of course you don’t,” Draco laughed again, staring into his drink. The amber liquid sloshed at the sides as he spun it slowly. “You don’t know what it’s like for the rest of us.”

“The rest of you? The Death Eaters, you mean? The people who tried to kill my friends? Of course, your lives must be awful now that your Lord is gone.”

The words hung between the two men and the air was thick with tension. Something flickered in Draco’s grey eyes but was gone just as soon as it had appeared.

“Say whatever you want,” Draco took a sip. “But I did what I had to do to stay alive - to keep my family alive. Maybe if you had one you’d understand.”

Draco’s words hit Harry square in the chest. He chuckled darkly and took a sip from his own drink. It wasn’t the same thing Hermione got him but it was good enough. It burned just a little on the way down, which was nice. He needed to feel something.

“Get back to me on what it feels like when they’re dead,” Harry finished off his drink in one swift sip.

“Perfect Potter snaps back,” Draco shook his head. “And they say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

Harry actually laughed at that. Draco smiled too and he bumped Harry’s arm with his elbow.

“Next round is on me,” Draco added. “Halloween is a shitty holiday anyway.”

“You have no idea,” Harry sighed. Draco patted him on the shoulder, and the sudden feeling of Draco’s hand on him.

“You’ll be alright, Potter,” Draco told him. “You’re the Chosen One. They’d be real fuckin’ proud of you.”

**Author's Note:**

> please leave kudos and comments! and check out my tumblr, draqo-pctter.tumblr.com


End file.
